Cargo traffic at the Port of Baltimore screeched to a halt Oct. 16 as International Longshoremen Association union workers went on strike, according to press reports. The Baltimore Sun reported that all cargo at the port is affected, and no ships are being worked on (here). Fox Baltimore said all services at the port have been suspended except for mail, which cannot be affected during a strike (here).

The National Retail Federation expects import volumes at major U.S. container ports to grow by 9.1 percent in October over the previous year, despite the federal government shutdown, it said in its monthly Global Port Tracker report. The forecast is based on merchandise orders placed before the shutdown as retailers prepare for the holiday season, it said. NRF is predicting holiday sales in 2013 will grow by 3.9 percent over last year. Most holiday season merchandise is brought into the U.S. in August, September and October, NRF said, with those three months accounting for over 25 percent of total annual retail imports.

All Port of New Orleans terminals and gatehouses resumed normal operations Oct. 7 as Tropical Storm Karen dissipated, the port said. Mississippi river traffic saw some restrictions as the storm approached, though cargo operations at the Port of New Orleans largely continued throughout (see 13100407).

Cargo operations at the Port of New Orleans terminals will stay open Oct. 4 despite the closure of the Mississippi River at Southwest Pass due to Tropical Storm Karen, the port said in a press release. "The Port is currently in Phase I of its Hurricane Preparedness Plan, which includes monitoring National Weather Service advisories and participating in frequent Port Coordination Team conference calls with all deep-draft ports, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard, pilot associations, and industry stakeholders."

Containerized cargo volume at the Port of Long Beach grew 16 percent in August, versus August 2012, the port said. It said there were double-digit percentage gains in both imports and exports. That made August the busiest month for cargo at Long Beach since October 2007, port officials said. A total of 630,292 TEUs moved through Long Beach in August. Imports increased 19.2 percent to 327,817 TEUs. Exports were up by 20.2 percent to 154,118 TEUs. Empties were up 5.8 percent to 148,357 TEUs. For the first eight months of calendar 2013, cargo container volume is up 13.6 percent, including 16.2 percent more imports, 10.9 percent more exports and 11 percent more empties, the port said.

Staff at the Port of Oakland maritime facilities worked closely with local law enforcement to keep all terminals open and operating as truckers protested on Aug. 20, the Port of Oakland reported. Port communications manager Robert Bernardo said that there were 10 to 20 protestors at four locations in the port area throughout the day, including the Oakland International Container Terminal’s (OICT) east and west gates, Ports America and the AMPCO truck parking facility. Bernardo said OICT operations were partially impacted when labor claimed unsafe working conditions, but all protestors cleared away and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union returned to work at OICT before noon. However, protesting truckers still remained scattered throughout the maritime area at 4:30 p.m., “with some antagonizing drivers and impacting gate moves,” an operation update said.

The Port of Long Beach has had six straight years of air quality improvements and has cut diesel particulates by 81 percent since 2005, according to a 2012 analysis released Aug. 19. According to a press release from the port, “all of the key air pollutants from port-related sources were reduced in 2012.” Smog-forming nitrogen oxides were cut 54 percent and sulfur oxides 88 percent, while greenhouse gases were lowered by 24 percent, the port said. The analysis, or "emissions inventory," also indicated the reduction in pollutants “far outpaced a 10 percent decline in containerized cargo activity” during the same time.

Protest activities at the Port of Oakland subsided at the end of the day Aug. 19, but port officials said they resumed Aug. 20. The protests involved dozens of independent truckers who expressed frustration at what they perceive as the growing backlog at the port. They were blocking the entrance to at least one facility, causing at least one terminal to be closed.

U.S. imports declined almost 3 percent from May to June, according to data from Zepol. These low numbers have changed the steady 1 percent increase in the volume of U.S. ocean imports since 2012, the report said on July 11. Zepol data also said that imports are 1.6 percent below twenty-foot containers (TEUs) seen in June 2012. The Zepol report finds that import volume for the first half of 2013 remains stagnant in comparison to the first half of 2012, and has actually decreased by 0.3 percent. However, Zepol’s CEO Paul Rasmussen said that 2013 still has potential to “rise above” in July and August, the “busiest months” for U.S. imports.

Traffic mitigation fees (TMF) will increase by 8.1 percent at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, effective Aug. 19, said the West Coast MTO Agreement (WCMTOA). The increase will sustain continued operation of PierPass OffPeak gates amid labor cost increases, the group said. Beginning Aug. 19, the TMF will be increased by $5.00 per TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) to $66.50 per twenty-foot container or $133.00 per forty-foot container. The current TMF rates are $61.50 and $123.00.